But his words are echoing in my head. Instructions.
He gave me instructions.
I don’t care if it’s crazy.
I don’t care how he does it.
I’m still holding him tightly when I stand.
I refuse to let him go.
“Reuben.” Someone’s voice finally trickles through. Baal.
“Reuben, give him to me.”
“No.” I walk past him without a word. I’m chanting the instructions in my head.
“Reuben, he’s not breathing.”
“… No.”
The rest of the team only watches.
Even Xavier stands to one side, lips tightened into a thin line.
How is it that even they know me better than my own brother?
Baal steps in front of me and I growl so viciously, Baal’s eyes widen barely a fraction, before he steels himself and holds his ground.
“Where are you taking him?”
What concern is it of yours, what I do with what’s mine?
Christian belongs to me.
“Get.” My words bite the air as I step forward. “Out. Of my way.”
The darkness inside me leaks out, and I see the fear in Baal’s eyes. The fear he tries to hide behind a steeled expression.
Your energy betrays you, big brother.
You should beveryafraid of me.
He steps out of the way, letting me through, and I walk away, still clutching Christian’s body.
It’s fine if I’ve lost my mind.
It’s fine if everyone is afraid.
They have six hours.
Or this city will have a bigger monster on its hands than the Harvester.
I take Christian to the hotel suite.
It seems fitting to me, to hide him there. In the place we could almost call ours.
After Evelyn’s death, I’d come here just so I could watch the memories play out in my head. So I could see the ghost of him in the kitchen, or fast asleep on the couch. So I could open my eyes in the morning and pretend he’s right there beside me, buried in my shirt, and looking up at me with sleep-filled blue eyes.
